ALTON library has been propelled into the spotlight once again as Hampshire County Council seeks residents’ views on how the county’s library service can be transformed and modernised to meet the changing needs of people in the 21st century.

Downgraded four years ago to tier two status, leading to a reduction in opening hours, Alton Town Council believes that with more than 1,000 new homes expected to be built in the area over the next four years Alton library should now be upgraded to “key” status, in line with Petersfield.

There is a definite sense of deja vu as, along with 52 others across the county, Alton library comes under scrutiny once again, with local users urged to fight its corner.

The review will take a hard look at the future viability of static libraries, including the use of trained volunteers to support the work of paid library staff, the sharing of library buildings, and the future of the mobile library service pending an investigation of modern alternatives.

Having fought long and hard for a new library which finally opened in 2004, it was a bitter pill to swallow when, in 2012, the decision was taken to force Alton to play second fiddle to Petersfield. It was, Alton Town Council believes, a decision based on inflated footfall due to the housing within Petersfield library of a tourist information point.

In addition, while Petersfield was handed “key” status, Alton saw a forced reduction in hours, including Wednesday closing.

In its response to the current consultation, the town council points out that “if a tourist information point was included in Alton library the footfall would be on a par with that of Petersfield”.

Alton Town Council believes that East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) would be open to negotiations to site an information point – considered to be a “much-needed resource” – at Alton library, and one that would encourage increased footfall and greater usage of the building.

The town council is also concerned for the future of the mobile library service which, councillors say, is highly valued by many people, particularly those living in the more rural areas.

Hampshire County Council has recently published a draft strategy to 2020 for the library service which stresses the need to provide a “modern, comprehensive and efficient” service that will remain “relevant and accessible”.

It includes a proposal that Hampshire library services should be branded and promoted using the four-tier model to provide a more standardised approach to services which suit the needs of their communities.

Tier one (key status) is awarded to the biggest libraries with the busiest public and community spaces and the widest range of services. Three of them have already been rebranded as discovery centres and, over the next four years, it is proposed to rebrand all tier-one libraries as discovery centres.

Tier one libraries are open six days a week, including Saturday and some evenings, with tier two libraries, open five days a week, including Saturday which, in Alton’s case, means that it is closed on Wednesdays.

Records show that serving a catchment area population of 38,359, Alton library received 137,999 visits and issued 145,247 books during 2014-15, equating to 62.07 issues per opening hour, with 14 per cent of the population registered as active members. The location and building were both classed as “adequate” while the condition of its building was rated “good”.

By contrast Petersfield, which is open six days per week and has the added attraction of a tourist information point, received 239,048 visits and issued 181,671 books during 2014-15, equating to 67.19 per opening hour, with 14 per cent of the catchment area population of 46,621 registered as active members. Its building and location were rated “good”.

Research shows the demand for library services is changing. Nationally there is declining demand for book issues and in library visits, and this is reflected to a lesser degree in Hampshire.

When developing proposals for the library strategy, Hampshire County Council will take into account usage and operating costs; demographics, including future growth; location of static libraries and mobile library stops; patterns of library use by customers; size of the catchment area, including travel distances; levels of deprivation within the library catchment area; educational attainment by children; car ownership; and the needs of people who have protected characteristics under the Equality Act.

Additionally, the library service has commissioned Anne Millman Associates to undertake market research of library users and non-users to help inform the development of the emerging strategy.

The key objective will be to preserve a free universal service, to include book lending, study spaces, public IT/wi-fi and free activities. Front-line library staff will be expected to deliver improvements through the development of new roles focusing on customer and digital services.

As such, over the next four years, to achieve greater improvement and cost reduction, the county council will explore the potential to join up with other councils delivering library services across local authority boundaries. In addition, it will investigate the benefits of transferring the library service to a charitable trust or a mutual organisation.

The draft strategy and the consultation questionnaire are both available online at hants.gov.uk/library, and is also available in print from all Hampshire libraries and mobile library stops. The consultation process will close on January 16.